BBC's Joanne Episcopo in Madrid"Mr Aznar's made the right-wing respectable in Spain" real 28kThe BBC's Orla Guerin"An army of Aznar supporters on the streets" real 28k

Monday, 13 March, 2000, 03:31 GMT

Aznar's victory speech - in full

Taking the applause at party headquarters in Madrid

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar addressed his supporters after his sweeping election victory. His speech from Popular Party headquarters in central Madrid was
carried live by Spanish TV.

"Good evening! May I ask you for a few minutes of attention,
please? I want my first words and thoughts on this evening
of joy to be for all the people of Spain [cheers].

For all
the people of Spain, who have once again contributed to the
improvement of our democracy, and have once again
contributed to, and made possible, a great fiesta of
democracy in Spain [cheers, chants of "Matador! Matador!"].

The people of Spain have generously renewed and increased
their trust in us.

I want to thank everyone, everyone who
has taken part in this fiesta of democracy, and everyone who
voted for us. And I want to express my respect for, and call
on everyone to respect, those Spaniards who decided to vote,
and place their trust in, other options [cheers].
But I want to tell you that today, very especially, my
words, my heart also remember those who cannot be with us
because they gave their lives for freedom and democracy in
Spain [big cheer - reference to victims of ETA].

Now, more than ever, we must be aware that - [interrupted by
cheers of "oe, oe, oe, oe y viva Espana!"] now we must all
work together and every form of help is needed.

Dialogue

I appeal
particularly for responsibility and tell all of you here,
and all Spaniards, that the stance of the next government,
as it has been throughout these four years, will be a stance
that is open to dialogue, to dialogue with the political
forces, to dialogue with the unions and employers, to
ongoing dialogue with the whole of Spanish society, with
every group, because we are all needed for Spain to make
progress [cheers].

The prime minister and his wife Ana Botella

I want to offer completely open cooperation to ensure that
political dialogue, social dialogue and the need to work
together for major agreements on the vital issues for our
country continue to be the very substance and magnificent
living proof of what good democracy ought to be in our
country [cheers].

Tonight particularly, I make this offer on the basis of
respect and consideration for all - an offer of dialogue,
agreements and efforts to find the most wide-ranging points
of agreement with the aim of making this open country, this
diverse country, this country that wants to move forward,
and is capable of achieving the biggest goals, the reality
of Spain in the next few years.

Now you will allow me to address you [the crowd] in
particular and tell you something which I don't know if you
have worked out yet: We have won the election! [huge
prolonged cheers]

Hopes and dreams

Spaniards have been very generous with us, and we shall be
able to show our gratitude with our work, our effort and our
dedication, and reciprocate this confidence and generosity
which Spain has placed in us.

Allow me to tell you that I feel proud of you [cheers]. I
feel proud to represent a major centrist political project
for the whole of Spain [cheers].

I feel proud that you have
run a clean and exemplary election campaign [cheers]. I feel
proud that we have ended many years of efforts and
sacrifices with a night of joy [cheers].

Today, more than
ever, we can say that we have seen many of the dreams we had
for so many years, become a reality. But the most important
hopes and dreams, and the most important aims, are the work
we Spaniards still have to complete over the next few years.

The most important thing is to continue to trust, back and
believe in an optimistic country, a vibrant country, a
country that is moving forward, a country that wants to win
itself a future; the most important thing is to continue to
trust in the great, diverse country that is Spain. Thank
you."

BBC Monitoring
(http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk), based in
Caversham in southern England, selects
and translates information from radio,
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